Automatic dumping body for motor vehicles



;y -1 9; w F. WALSH Em.

' Au'rom'rm mmrme Bony FOR MOTOR vnniduss Filed Jan, 28, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet l y 14, 1929- E. F. WALSH ET AL 1,712,534

AUTOMATIC DUMPING BODYFOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Jan. 28, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. F. WALSH ET AL May 14, 1929.

AUTOMATIC DUNPING BODY FOR MOTOR VEHICLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 File d Jan. 28, 1925 r r .1 C@.%

y 1929. E. F. WALSH ET AL 1,712,534

AUTOMATIC DUMPING BODY FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Jan. 28, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 14, 1929.

unwnnn r. WALS Ann WILLIAM E. rouse, or MARION, INDIANA.

A TOMATIC ma ma BODY roar/Loren VEHICLES.

Application filed January 28, 1925. Serial noqaeii.

This invention relates to anautomatic dumping body for motor vehicles such as motor trucks and the like and is an improvement on an application filed March 17, 1924; Serial Number 699,749Qthe object being to provide a motor vehicle with a dumping body which will act automatically whenthe body is released, the body being somounted thatit tilts by gravity when'loaded and returns to its normalpositioir when unloaded. v

Alurther object ofour invention isjto im prove the general constructionby providing the tra ns carried by the motor'vehicle and the frame of the body with a novel form of bearings so that the body moves on one fulcrum when loaded and swings on another fulcrumwhen unloaded, the body be ing held firmly in position'at all times.

'ir-i further object of the inventionv is'to improve the general construction oli s tifl arm for holdingthe body in raised or tilting psition and to provide'novel means forbreaking the stiff arm to allow the body to return to the horizontal position after the load. has been discharged. 1 p p Uther and further objects andadvantages oi the invention will behereinafter set forth and the novel features thereofdefined by the appended claims.

In the drawings, 1 l p 3 Figure 1 is a side elevationjfof a portion of a motor truck constructed in accordance with our invention showing the body ina horizontal position; U Figure 2 is a rear end elevation ofa portion of the body;

Figure 3 is a detail frontelevation; t Figure 4 is a front elevation ofthe stiff arm; p Figure 5is a side elevation of'the same; t Figure 6 is a perspective view of theup per bearing carried byth'cbody of the motor vehicle; l Figure 7 is a detail perspective of the lower bearing andthe connectingshafts;

Figure 8 is atop plan view ofthe tail gate latches showing the mannerolf carrying the same by a shaft; and i 7 Figure 9 is a detail perspective viei'vshowing the manner of mounting the tail gate operating rod. p i l p i 7 in the drawings 1 indicates the chassis of a motor truck on which is secured a frame 2 formed of angle irons and secured 'rigbearings 3 having in the bearing members 9 and these shafts are connected together adjacent each end by links'13. From" the above it will be seen that the shaft 7 is mounted in a circular bearing 011 the bearin member 3 and travels in a curved slot 152- in the bearing member 9 and that thefshaftfi is mounted in circular bearings infthc bearingfmember 9 and is seated in semi-circular bearings 4 formed in the bearings 3 so that when the body is tilted, the fulcrum is changed which allows the body to discharge its load and when discharged to return back into a horizontal position all tomatically. l i

The bearing plates 3 are connected togethor by angleirons 14 so as to gform a rigid structure. The body at its rear end is provided with a swingingtail gate 15 carried by arms'lfi which is provided (with trunnions 17mounted in bearings carried by brackets 18 and'the lower end of the tail gate is adapted to be engaged by pivoted latches 19 as to holdthe tail gate in a closed position. These latches are hired on a: trans verse shaft 19" mounted insuitable bearings 20 and one is provided with a depending arm 21 inountedon threaded rod 23 which i extends through a bearing 24 carried by one ofthosills10 and is pivotally connected to bell crank lever 26 mounted on a bearing pin carried by the member 9, the other arm of which is arranged opposite a curved slot'12 so that when the body is moved into inclined or"tilted position, the bell crank levermwillhe engaged by the shaft 7 to release the latches 19 inorderto allow the body to discharge its load and when returned toits horizontal position; the tail gate, by

its weight, rides over the inclined edge of the latches 19 andlocks itself automatically p i H y i p The rod 23 is surrounded by a coiled spring 25, one end-of which engages the bearing 24and the other end a stop 25 carried by the rod 23 so as to normally hold the latches in raised position.

thrown out of engagement with the keeper in order to -release the body, the latch being normally held in the position shown by a pair of coil springs 33.1 The lever .30 .works through ,a oke 34 so 'thatfa wedge member 35 can be ro ped in thefen'd of the yoke to rigidly lock t e lever in its inward positionso that all danger of the body being accidentally released is prevented, but it: is, of course, understood that the'use of this additional locking meansis unnecessary as the lever 30 bein held by the springs .33 assures the body beinglocked in a horizontal position. V I

Extending between the side bars of the frame 2at their forward ends'is an an leiron 36 through which extend a pair of bo ts 87 carrying a member 38 and surrounded by coil sprin s 39. The member 38 is provided with a bi urcated bearing 40 betweenwhich is pivotally mounted at the lower end, a

'sectiohal-Lstiffflarm formed of sections 41 and 42,,the section 42. carrying a air of arms I 43 between which the u per en of the arm 41 is pivotally mounte by a bolt 44.- The lower end of the arm 42 is offset as shown at 45 to engage the arm 41. i

The keeper 27 is provided with a bifurcated, ear 46 between which is pivotallv mounted the upper endof the arm 42.

and around'fthebearing of the arm 42 and engages the arm as clearly'shown so as to have the tendencyto force the arm downwardly. v

The'yieldable connection as shown at the lower. end of the stiff arm to the frame provides means for checking or cushioning the upward movement of the body so that the movement isretarded. This in reality provides .a shock absorber to relieve the ex- "cessive strain when the body'moves into an inclined position to dump its load;

"The .lever 3O -carries a kick-off arm 48 I 1 which is adapted to engage the stiff arm and break the jointbymoving the hand lever 32 so as to allow the bod to move back into a horizontal position a ter the load has been I discharged.

In the operation 'of our improved construction of automatic dumping body for motor trucks, assuming that the body is I A the other. suitable spring 47 is disposed under the body loaded and is in the position as shown in Figure 1, when the hand lever is moved forwardly, the latch is released and as the fulcrum of the body is to one side of the longitudinal center, the body automatically moves into an inclined position to dump its load, the u ward movement being retarded by the sti arm, which, when straightened out, supports the body in an inclined sition. As the body moves into an inc ined position, the bell crank lever 26 engages the shaft 7 so as to release the tail latches and to allow the tail gate to swing outwardly. As the body moves into an inclined osition, the fulcrum of the body chan es fi'om the shaft 6 to the shaft 7 and as t 1e shaft 7 is to the other side of the transverse center of the body, the body will return automatically to a horizontal position when released by the stiff arm. The operator forces the lever backwardly so as to force the kick-off arm into engagement with the stiff arm, which breaks the stiff arm and the body then returns to a horizontal position.

From the fore oing description it will be seen that when t e body is loaded and in a horizontal osition, it is supported at its front end y the sup ort carried by the frame and locked in tiat position by the body latch so that when the latch is pulled forward, the body is unlatched. As the shaft 6 is disposed forward of the center of the bod the body ti s until it reaches an angle 0 about 27 w en the shaft 7 comes in contact with the top bearing in slot 12 so that the pivot changes from shaft 6 to shaft 7, shaft 6 rising out of thehalf bearin and the body continues to tip on the fu crum 7 until the stiff arm or stiff leg stops upward movement at about 45, the tail gate latch operating exactly the time that the body changes from one fulcrum to After the load has been dischar ed from the body, the body by its own weig t, returns to a horizontal osition, changing the fulcrum from one sha t to the other on its return trip.

What we'claim is 1. A motor truck havin a chassis, bearings arranged in a plane a ove said chassis, one of sai bearings bein circular and the other semi-circular, a bo y having depending bearing members, said bearing members having circular bearings and curved slots, a. shaft carried by the bearing members of the chassis working through said slots, a shaft carried by the bearing members of said body adapted to rest within the semi-circular bearings, said body being ada ted to initially swing on the shaft carrie by the body when moving into inclined position to dum its load and to initially swing on the sha carried by the bearing members of the chassis to automatically return to horizontal po sition.

2. A motor truck having a chassis, an auxiliary frame fixed on said chassis having at its rear end a pair of upwardly extending bearing members connected together, said bearing members being provided with circular bearings and scmi circular bearings, a body having depending bearing members provided with circular bearings and curved slots, transversely arranged shafts extending through the circular bearings of said bearing members, the shaft of the chassis bearing members working through the slots of the body bearing members and the shaft of the body bearing memhers working in the semi-circular bearings to provide a'means whereby the body may be adapted to swing initially on one said shafts when loaded and to initially swing on the other shaft when unloaded to return said body to horizontal position.

A motor truck having a chassis, an auxiliary frame carried by said chassis, a pair of bearing members extending upwardy from said auxiliary frame, a bar connect Zing said bearing members, said bearing members being provided with circular bearings carrying a transversely arranged shaft and semicircular bearings, a body having depending bearing members provided with circular bearing members carrying a transversely arranged shaft adapted to fit within the semi-circular bearings of the first mentioned bearing member, the first mentioned shaft extending through curved slots formed in the second mentioned bearing shaft and links connecting said shafts.

4. A motor truck having a body mounted on spaced horizontally disposed shafts to provide two fulcrum bearings for said body to allow said body to automatically move into inclined position to dump its load and to return to a horizontal position, said body having a swinging tail gate, pivoted latches engaging said tail gate, a bell crank lever, one of saidshafts being arranged in the path of said bell crank, a connection betw een said bell crank lever and said latches whereby said latches will be automatically released when said body moves into an in-.

clined position to dump its lead.

5. A motor truck having a body mounted on two fulcrums adapted to first swing 011 one fulcrum to dump its load and to first swing on another fulcrum to return to horizcntal position, said body having a pivoted tail gate, pivoted latches for holding said tail gate in closed position and a bell crank lever having a connection with said latches adapted to be engaged by one of said fulcrums when said body is moved into inclined position to release said latches.

6. A motor truck comprising a chassis having a body pivotally mounted on a pair of shafts, said body having a pivoted tail gate, a latch for locking said tail gate, a bell crank for operating said latch, said bell crank being operated by coming in contact with one of said shafts for releasing said latches when said body is moved into inclined position.

In testimony whereof we hereunto afliX our signatures.

EDWARD F. WALSH. WILLIAM E. FOUST. 

